I love my church, but I do also miss listening to Andy Stanley every week preach. I have listened to the sermon, Love, Sex, and Dating numerous times. One the fourth part, he talks about practical things to do before dating/getting married.
1. Address unresolved childhood issues.
Become a whole and healthy person
2. Get out of debt.
3. Break bad habits. Greta things get better, bad things get worse.
whole person looking for a whole person
4. Postpone physical relationship ALAP. As long as possible.
Your looking for the one, not everyone. Self-control before marriage, self control during marriage.
5. Avoid living together.
6. Be involved in church.
Wisdom to know what to do with what we have heard. Honor you with our singleness.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tired
I am tired today. I am emotionally tired. I have told a couple of friends that it feels like it's only going to take one thing to put me over the edge. Put me over the edge and start crying. It was trying today. A couple of times it could have been that one thing, but it didn't. For the last couple of days I have just come home tired and feeling like I am going to cry. I so want to just cry and get it over with. Things aren't that bad. I should be and am thankful for things that are going on. Really nothing has been that different. The same children have had been having a hard time. The same children have been trying on my patience. I was as lonely and wanting a date as last week. I get paid this weekend so i can go and get my car fixed. I have been excited about going to Joyce Meyer this weekend then next weekend I have a really nice getaway from church. All of the women are going North to cabins and just being with each other and God. So, what is my problem? Am I just tired?
Lord,
Oh Lord, I am tired. Why do I want to cry so bad? What is it that is bothering me really? Why can't I put it into words but just want to show it with tears? Whatever it is, I GIVE it to you. You know what's going on with me and I lay it at your feet. I want your help in fixing/changing/whatever it is, I give it to you and ask you to do it. I love you Lord. Thank you for taking care of me. What would I do without you?
Amen.
Lord,
Oh Lord, I am tired. Why do I want to cry so bad? What is it that is bothering me really? Why can't I put it into words but just want to show it with tears? Whatever it is, I GIVE it to you. You know what's going on with me and I lay it at your feet. I want your help in fixing/changing/whatever it is, I give it to you and ask you to do it. I love you Lord. Thank you for taking care of me. What would I do without you?
Amen.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Seed and Yeast
Oh how God is good. No, you don't think He has been listening to you or hears anything that you have to say, and BAM! he shows how wrong that you are. Today at church was on Luke 13:18-21. It was done by one of my favorites pastors, even if we only have three and I like them all. We are doing the whole book of Luke for about a year. Usually it is nice to know that you are going to be turning to Luke when you sit down to get ready for the sermon.
Well, today was on Seed and Yeast, Luke 13: 18-21. It's short and talks about a mustard seed. You know, one of those tiny tiny seeds that you wouldn't even see on the ground. How God is not in a hurry. God is gradual in planting the seed and growing it. We are the impatient ones. I could feel him looking at me when he said it. I know I am impatient. I am impatient in the car when people are going slow, I am impatient about God bringing me someone to date/love. At night I have been praying before I go to bed. Usually don't make a point to talk to the Lord as a fall asleep but have been for the last couple of days. I pour my heart out to Him. Once I start it just starts to come out. But, the thing is, it's been the same thing I pray about. I think it's the one thing that's always on my heart and I just act like I am okay with most of the time. I pour out that I am impatient and I know that He is doing things, but I am tired of waiting. I am tired of being excited about people who are pregnant. I don't even want a baby, I want someone to hold my hand! And so when I really allow myself to be honest with myself and God, I tell him that I am lonely. He has been showing me that He is there with me until He brings me my husband. Even as I am sitting here at Starbucks, typing this and listening to Joyce Meyer, the one that I just chose to listen to is Jealousy and Greed.
And after the mustard seed comes the Yeast. The leaven bread. How you must use a little leaven bread (moldy but needed) to put into what you are now making. At first I thought it was something else. I used the big picture to think about something else and then the preacher talked about how Jesus is the leaven bread. Once it's in the new yeast, smushing itself, it grows. It grows like the mustard seed and brings it to be it. It grows and becomes the new bread. that's us with God. We have him in our life, we allow him control and then we see him in us. So, at the end of the sermon and on the back of our paper, it gave questions to ask ourselves. I had already looked at the questions and here are some of them.
1. Take a few minutes and reflect on your life. About what things/areas can you say, "it is inexplicable, He must have done it!"?
2. What so you sense your current need for spiritual growth chiefly lies?
3. Spend some time in prayer thanking Him for what He has already done in your life and heart....Now entrust Him with what change is yet to come.
And so, here is what I think about the questions. I should be more thankful. I can list the things in my life where it just had to be God. I had a friend in college, I didn't know her but became quick friends when we both failed a much needed class. I failed it b/c my fiancee had been to infatuated with my fiancee and was at his beck and call when he came in town or was on the phone. She had the same bad relationship and we then had to take a class in order to graduate and God brought me that friend. He brought me a glimpse of what He could do in my life if I had given him control.
What about Guatemala? I was sick with a parasite and the doctor didn't speak English. It just so happened the the doctors wife came in to help me and translated for me when I went back in.
Brazil. I met a dear friend Hadassah that had been in a bad relationship like me and we prayed for our future husbands dearly and strongly in a bus going the road.
Even these days. I am having car problems. I don't have the money to get it fixed yet and it is by the grace of God that I have Jenny, my dear sister and she allows me to ride with her to school and allows me to use her car to go to church.
Instead of watching TV for hours, I have switched to reading or listening to a sermon online. I am not saying it's been perfect and I might not go home and watch a couple of thing on the church. But, I have been making better choices. I have a sin that keeps coming up every so often and instead of allowing it to burden me and partake in it all of the time, I have been doing other things instead.
I could go on and on. The old Christine would have been hanging her head low and feeling defeated about my bills. About how I react to things. But, with giving God control, I can hold my head high and know that i am doing everything that I possibly can about it.
There is a peace that I know when I trust in God. that's what Joyce Meyer just said. It can't be just a one time thing or a thing where I am trusting only when craziness ensues. There is always times of craziness. The devil wants to get at me quickly b/c I am no longer controlled by him.
So, sitting here at Starbucks and listening to Joyce Meyer and typing. I am looking around at the different sorts or people here, I still giving control over to you lord.
Lord,
Thank you so much for everything that you have done in my life. The things that I have hated you for and the things that I didn't even know that I needed. Oh, how I need you in my life. I need you more than I realize. Sometimes like today I get glimpses and I want to fall on my knees and thank you. Thank you for always taking care of me. If I think/really know that You have always taken care of me, than why don't I think that you will take care of the other bits and pieces. The things that I SO desperately would love to have. It's in your time and not mine. Even though it's SO hard at times, I give you it Lord. I give you my life and what you will do in it.
Amen.
Well, today was on Seed and Yeast, Luke 13: 18-21. It's short and talks about a mustard seed. You know, one of those tiny tiny seeds that you wouldn't even see on the ground. How God is not in a hurry. God is gradual in planting the seed and growing it. We are the impatient ones. I could feel him looking at me when he said it. I know I am impatient. I am impatient in the car when people are going slow, I am impatient about God bringing me someone to date/love. At night I have been praying before I go to bed. Usually don't make a point to talk to the Lord as a fall asleep but have been for the last couple of days. I pour my heart out to Him. Once I start it just starts to come out. But, the thing is, it's been the same thing I pray about. I think it's the one thing that's always on my heart and I just act like I am okay with most of the time. I pour out that I am impatient and I know that He is doing things, but I am tired of waiting. I am tired of being excited about people who are pregnant. I don't even want a baby, I want someone to hold my hand! And so when I really allow myself to be honest with myself and God, I tell him that I am lonely. He has been showing me that He is there with me until He brings me my husband. Even as I am sitting here at Starbucks, typing this and listening to Joyce Meyer, the one that I just chose to listen to is Jealousy and Greed.
And after the mustard seed comes the Yeast. The leaven bread. How you must use a little leaven bread (moldy but needed) to put into what you are now making. At first I thought it was something else. I used the big picture to think about something else and then the preacher talked about how Jesus is the leaven bread. Once it's in the new yeast, smushing itself, it grows. It grows like the mustard seed and brings it to be it. It grows and becomes the new bread. that's us with God. We have him in our life, we allow him control and then we see him in us. So, at the end of the sermon and on the back of our paper, it gave questions to ask ourselves. I had already looked at the questions and here are some of them.
1. Take a few minutes and reflect on your life. About what things/areas can you say, "it is inexplicable, He must have done it!"?
2. What so you sense your current need for spiritual growth chiefly lies?
3. Spend some time in prayer thanking Him for what He has already done in your life and heart....Now entrust Him with what change is yet to come.
And so, here is what I think about the questions. I should be more thankful. I can list the things in my life where it just had to be God. I had a friend in college, I didn't know her but became quick friends when we both failed a much needed class. I failed it b/c my fiancee had been to infatuated with my fiancee and was at his beck and call when he came in town or was on the phone. She had the same bad relationship and we then had to take a class in order to graduate and God brought me that friend. He brought me a glimpse of what He could do in my life if I had given him control.
What about Guatemala? I was sick with a parasite and the doctor didn't speak English. It just so happened the the doctors wife came in to help me and translated for me when I went back in.
Brazil. I met a dear friend Hadassah that had been in a bad relationship like me and we prayed for our future husbands dearly and strongly in a bus going the road.
Even these days. I am having car problems. I don't have the money to get it fixed yet and it is by the grace of God that I have Jenny, my dear sister and she allows me to ride with her to school and allows me to use her car to go to church.
Instead of watching TV for hours, I have switched to reading or listening to a sermon online. I am not saying it's been perfect and I might not go home and watch a couple of thing on the church. But, I have been making better choices. I have a sin that keeps coming up every so often and instead of allowing it to burden me and partake in it all of the time, I have been doing other things instead.
I could go on and on. The old Christine would have been hanging her head low and feeling defeated about my bills. About how I react to things. But, with giving God control, I can hold my head high and know that i am doing everything that I possibly can about it.
There is a peace that I know when I trust in God. that's what Joyce Meyer just said. It can't be just a one time thing or a thing where I am trusting only when craziness ensues. There is always times of craziness. The devil wants to get at me quickly b/c I am no longer controlled by him.
So, sitting here at Starbucks and listening to Joyce Meyer and typing. I am looking around at the different sorts or people here, I still giving control over to you lord.
Lord,
Thank you so much for everything that you have done in my life. The things that I have hated you for and the things that I didn't even know that I needed. Oh, how I need you in my life. I need you more than I realize. Sometimes like today I get glimpses and I want to fall on my knees and thank you. Thank you for always taking care of me. If I think/really know that You have always taken care of me, than why don't I think that you will take care of the other bits and pieces. The things that I SO desperately would love to have. It's in your time and not mine. Even though it's SO hard at times, I give you it Lord. I give you my life and what you will do in it.
Amen.
37.5 MG review
Okay, well I have been on the change in prescription for about two weeks. I am thinking it's been about two weeks, it could have been a month or just a week. As I said a couple of blogs ago, I went back to the doctor and talked about changing my medicine down. Down to only half way and it has been working for me. I think that the change in work and just changes that have been going on in my prayer life and my relationship with God has been a good thing. It's not all about the medicine but me as a person. I am happy. Not all of the time, but I know that God has my back in the times when I am not.
Garage Sale
You can tell a lot about a person from what they are selling at their Garage Sale.
Our books: Christian self-helps and lots of non-fiction fairytale princess meets her night and shining armour, live happily ever after books.
Then you see the clothes no longer fir or the dresses that you just had to get for a special occasion that at the garage sale you sell for $1 b.c it's on a hanger. The prom dress that will so be a wonderful Quince dress for a young girl.
And so this one is different there will not be a "put it back into the garage" moment. We are dropping off the clothes and small items to Goodwill. Before we take the books that are for a quarter that we just had to read, I am taking them to a used bookstore to see if we can get any store credit. They called yesterday and said that we have $125 in credit and that they took 80 % of the books that we had brought in.
Again how I didn't realize in time that the library is FREE!! And I felt that I had to show everyone and keep all of the books, like an adornment of how smart that I am. How wrong was I?
And news from the sale is that we will be able to get a tank of gas down to Florida in Feb for the Disney Princess races. Which really means that we need to start training. I could say, oh, anyone can do a 5K and so I don't have to worry about it and train. I did that once for a race. I had done some 5K's and had been no much at the gym and tried to do a half marathon. It didn't work out that well for me.
Our books: Christian self-helps and lots of non-fiction fairytale princess meets her night and shining armour, live happily ever after books.
Then you see the clothes no longer fir or the dresses that you just had to get for a special occasion that at the garage sale you sell for $1 b.c it's on a hanger. The prom dress that will so be a wonderful Quince dress for a young girl.
And so this one is different there will not be a "put it back into the garage" moment. We are dropping off the clothes and small items to Goodwill. Before we take the books that are for a quarter that we just had to read, I am taking them to a used bookstore to see if we can get any store credit. They called yesterday and said that we have $125 in credit and that they took 80 % of the books that we had brought in.
Again how I didn't realize in time that the library is FREE!! And I felt that I had to show everyone and keep all of the books, like an adornment of how smart that I am. How wrong was I?
And news from the sale is that we will be able to get a tank of gas down to Florida in Feb for the Disney Princess races. Which really means that we need to start training. I could say, oh, anyone can do a 5K and so I don't have to worry about it and train. I did that once for a race. I had done some 5K's and had been no much at the gym and tried to do a half marathon. It didn't work out that well for me.
What did you do on your September break?
I have found that I can't be a Jersey Housewife. After cleaning, reading, making 2 baby blankets, and starting a huge project making my race shirts into a quilt, I need to work. That was all done by Tuesday and I had the rest of the week! I also know that even at the times that I don't want to leave the house, I need to leave the house at least once a day. Depression would creep up it's ugly face O'So quickly. So, it was a blessing that my wonderful friends needed an overnight babysitter for her daughter. I got to get out of mind of doing nothing and got out of the house. It was also a reminder that I need to be thankful for my singleness b/c at times I usually want to go to the bathroom by myself and want to watch what I want on TV. I also have been to the library twice this week. I am slowly getting through a Beth Moore book. I am loving some Amish books by Beverly Lewis. It's b/c of me that there is none at your local libraries. The simple life fascinates me. They just have different things that they have to think about. I really like reading about the mating rituals? That doesn't sound right, but the way the Amish go about meeting and dating. Really they don't date. They hang out and then they don't tell anyone that they are together until a month before their wedding. And then they tell the whole church about it.
What else? I am really trying to consciously have quiet Jesus time this week. When you have the time you can't sit still and while during work you pray for time alone with Him.
What else? I am really trying to consciously have quiet Jesus time this week. When you have the time you can't sit still and while during work you pray for time alone with Him.
Friday, September 23, 2011
So Long Insecurity
So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore
Ending
My father in heaven,
I thank you for breath this day to give you praise.
I thank you for a life where nothing is wasted,
a life where pain turns into purpose and Your providence assigns a personal destiny.
You will never allow anything in my path
that can't bring You glory or me and those around me good.
No matter what this day holds,
I am clothed with strength to overcome every obstacle and all oppression
b/c I belong to Jesus Christ, and His Spirit lives within me.
You, Lord, are my security.
No one and nothing can take You from me.
You will keep my foot from being caught in a trap.
I choose to turn my back on fear b/c You are right here with me.
I can smile over the days to come b/c Your plan for me is good and right.
My heart is steadfast, trusting in You, Lord.
In the end, I will look in triumph on my foes.
Because of You,
I, Christine, am secure. In Jesus' triumphant name,
Amen.
Ending
My father in heaven,
I thank you for breath this day to give you praise.
I thank you for a life where nothing is wasted,
a life where pain turns into purpose and Your providence assigns a personal destiny.
You will never allow anything in my path
that can't bring You glory or me and those around me good.
No matter what this day holds,
I am clothed with strength to overcome every obstacle and all oppression
b/c I belong to Jesus Christ, and His Spirit lives within me.
You, Lord, are my security.
No one and nothing can take You from me.
You will keep my foot from being caught in a trap.
I choose to turn my back on fear b/c You are right here with me.
I can smile over the days to come b/c Your plan for me is good and right.
My heart is steadfast, trusting in You, Lord.
In the end, I will look in triumph on my foes.
Because of You,
I, Christine, am secure. In Jesus' triumphant name,
Amen.
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